Shipping-crate



Patented Sept. 27, |898.

0. BOSE.

SHIPPING CRATE.

(Application filed Oct. 25, 1897.\

(No Model.)

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W S SQ S PATENT trice.

OREN ROSE, OFy GIBSON, NEW YORK.

SHIPPING-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,281, datedSeptember 27, 1898. Application le. October 25, 1897. Serial No.656,308.y (No model.)

To ctZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, OREN ROSE, a citizen of the United States, residingat Gibson, in

the county of Steuben and State of New York,`

have invented a new and useful Shipping- Orate,of which the following isa specification. My invention relates to shipping-crates of the foldingor knockdown type, and the object in view is to provide a crate havingno detachable parts and which maybe folded into compact form for returnshipment.

Furthermore, my invention is particularly applicable to that class ofcrates wherein no lids or covers are employed to provide for filling thecrates above the level or struck measure, the object in view being toprovide such a construction of folding-crate bottom that when cratesembodying my invention are tiered the upper crates will not injure thecontents of the lower or supporting crates.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in thefollowing description, and the novel features thereof will beparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end perspective view, partly in section,of a crate constructed in accordance with my invention,

the folded positions of the side walls being indicated in dotted lines.Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same, showing in dotted linesthe folded positions of the end walls. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontalsection of the joint between contiguous side walls. Fig. t is a det-ailvertical section of a portion of one end of the crate, showing thecontiguousend wall in its folded position.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

The bottom wall l of the crate embodying my invention is provided withlongitudinal side bars or cleats 2, forming hinge-bars, upon which aremounted the movable or folding sections 3 of the side walls, the latterbeing provided with inner guide-cleats 4, pivotally mounted at theirlower extremities upon the ends of said hinge-bars, and with outerguidecleats 5, which are respectively parallel with the innerguide-cleats and are spaced therefrom to form intermediate guideways,inwhich are mounted to slide the contiguous edges of the end walls 6. Theside bars or cleats 7 of said end walls project at their outer edgesbeyond the contiguous extremities of the slats of said walls to fitinthe guideways, and stops 8 are arranged at the upper ends of theguideways to limit the upward movement of the end walls, said stops inthe construction illustrated consisting of transverse pins.

As above indicated, the side walls are of sectional construction, withthe folding sections 3 pivotally mounted to fold inwardly to occupy aposition parallel with the bottom wall, as indicated in dotted lines inFig. l; but in order to prevent outward folding of these movableside-wall sections I provide the end walls with T-head guides 9,littingin registering guide-grooves l0 in opposite walls of theguideways. In the construction illustrated these T-head guides consistof antifriction roller-disks mounted upon spindles 1l, arranged parallelwith 'the' planes, re-

spectively, of the end walls, whereby the disks are arranged in planesparallel with the normalpositions of the side walls.

The fixed or permanent sections 3a of the side walls depend below theplane of the bottom wall,and the guideways, which are formed on theextremities of the movable side -wall sections,'are extended upon saidfixed or permanent sections to allow the T-head guides,

which are arranged contiguous to the upper` edges of the end walls, topass downward to a point below'the plane of the bottom wall, and th uswholly release the movable side-wall sections. Inasmuch as theinterposition of the end walls between the planes of the side wallsserves normally to hold the side walls the end walls reach the depressedposition above described they are free to fold inwardly or toward eachother between thedepending portions 3 vof the side walls upon the axesIOO formed by the disks S, thus adapting the end walls to fold intoplanes parallel with the bottom wall and between the planes of the sidewalls, where they are protected and are compactly arranged for returnshipment. In order to facilitate the engagement of the T-head guideswith the guideways, I cut away portions of the inner surfaces of theixed sections 3 of the side walls to form recesses 12 but engagement ordisengagement of the said guide-disks with the guideways can beaccomplished only when the end wall which is to be inserted or removedis twisted out of its normal position to depress the guide-disk at oneof its edges to a point below the plane of the other. Then in theirnormal positions, the end walls are arranged with their lower edgesiiush with the corresponding edges of the side walls to preventaccidental depression thereof and also to form a continuous bearing forthe several walls of the crate, whereby when the crates are tiered thebottom of an upper crate doesnot bear upon the contents of the subjacentcrate.

It will be seen that the bottom of the crate embodying my invention isupset from the plane of the lower edges of the side and end walls toform a cavity adapted to receive a portion of the contents of asubjacent crate when the latter is filled to a point above the plane ofthe upper edges of its walls.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

andthe minor details of construction may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit 0r sacrificing any of the advantages of thisinvention.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I,

claim isl. A crate having a bottom wall, side walls mounted upon thebottom wall to fold inwardly and provided with terminaltransversely-alin ed guideways, and end walls fitted to slide at theiredges in said guideways on the side walls, and adapted to be downwardlywithdrawn therefrom to fold in planes parallel with the bottom wall,substantially as specified.

2. A crate having a bottom wall, inwardlyfolding side walls provid edwith transverselyalined guideways, end walls fitted at their side edgesto slide in said guideways, and adapted, when withdrawn downwardly, tofold parallel with the plane of the bottom wall, and means for limitingthe upward-sliding movement of the end walls, substantially asspecified.

3. A crate having a bottom, side walls mounted upon the bottomto foldinwardly, and provided with terminal transverselyalined guideways,guideway extensions arranged below the plane of the bottom wall, endwalls fitted to slide at their side edges in said guideways, and meanscarried by the end walls for pivotally supporting the same in saidextensions of the guideways, substantially as specified.

et. A crate having a bottom wall, inwardlyfolding side walls providedwith terminal transverselyalined guideways, end walls litted to slide attheir side edges in said guideways, and a T-head guide swiveled upon theend walls at each edge, to fit in alined grooves in the side walls ofsaid guideways to prevent outward deflection of the side walls,substantially as specified.

5. A crate having a bottom wall, sectional side walls comprisinginwardly-folding pivotal sections mounted upon the bottom wall, andfixed sections depending below the plane of the bottom wall, saidpivotal sections being provided with terminal transversely-alinedguideways, end walls tted at their side edges to slide in saidguideways, and end-Wall-pivoting devices carried by said end walls neartheir upper edges and adapted, when the side edges of the end walls aredisengaged from the guideways of said pivotal sections, to pivotallysupport the end walls for upward folding parallel with the plane of thebottom wall, substantially as specified.

C, A crate having a bottom wall, side walls comprising fixed sectionsattached to the bottom wall and depending below the plane thereof,movable sections pivotally mounted upon the bottom wall to fold inwardlytherefrom, said movable side-wallV sections being provided withtransversely-alined guideways, and the iixed side-wall sections beingprovided with guideway extensions, end walls fitted to slide at theirside edges in said guideways, and pivoting means, consisting ofantifriction-disks, and spindles carried by the side edges of the endwalls, said disks engaging alined guide-grooves in the wallsof theguideways, substantially as specified.

7. A crate having a bottom wall, side walls mounted upon the bottom wallto fold inwardly, and provided with terminal trans- IOC versely-alinedguideways, and end walls pro- IIO

